Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I thought this book was excellent for a debut novel. It is well-written with fun (greedy - it's all about the food!) characters and a fast-paced unusual story. Set in the 1920s I didn't get the feel of the 'roaring twenties' but thoroughly enjoyed the village setting of Blakeney. There's an international flavour when the murder case crosses the channel to France, and there are lots of characters plus nicknames to keep a handle on. There are twists right to the end and the final couple of pages line up the next case for the detective agency crew so it seems there might be another good book in the pipeline, so Tally Ho!

I was very disappointed with this book. The characters were such that I just could not connect with them. I don’t feel like the author did a good job with the dialogue ... attempting to speak as if the characters were British and doing a poor job at it. This was a very slow read and did not engage me at all. I definitely would not be interested in reading any further books if this is the beginning of a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Guild Ltd for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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The story is so engaging, it completely had me captivated from the very beginning. For a debut novel, the writing was impeccable and I really couldn't fault it at all. I loved the story!

So. What to say about this. I think it's trying to be Bertie Wooster does detecting, but it doesn't come off. It feels like it's throwing a lot of things into the mix but none of them are quite executed as well as they need to be. I found it a bit confusing in places in terms of keeping track of who was who and doing what. I didn't love it, and I thought the depiction of the British police inspector was... misjudged. Never mind.

I am a fan of reprints of old mysteries, probably more than I am of the more current plots that are part of the ' cozy' genre. This particular jaunt (the best word to suit the escapade) hits just the right note, which I enjoy. It is not the plot or the uncovering of the villain that was the highlight of the book for me, but the hard work put in by the members of the detective team while enjoying themselves with people they like.
Whispy has been trying to make a go of his detective venture, more to prove a point to his father than anything else, although his intelligence does require him to be right about things. A bit of time is spent talking about the different nicknames that we encounter in the book, probably a little more than I appreciated, but it might be a cultural thing which I am unaware of.
Our detective team has only been working on small cases thus far, but the possible wrongful conviction of a woman (who intended to run for election) is something that can put them in the big leagues.
Once the case is handed to them, there is a meticulous investigation of all the possible avenues that they can explore, and we get to see all the ways they literally and figuratively trip up before arriving at the appropriate conclusion.
It is England in the 1920s, and the death of a titled person via poisoning is the talk of the town. The clock is ticking while the solution needs to clear the lady biding her time in jail. The range of the people we encounter is highly entertaining. Not all of them toe the line of society's expectations, but it works without feeling anachronistic.
I would definitely love to read more books set in this world if this is to become a series, something I am not very sure of.
I would recommend this to readers of the mystery genre, especially those who like books set in older times.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Set in the 20s a fledgling detective agency looks to prove someone's innocence. Gentle, perfect detective story for the summer or a cold winters evening. Would recommend

William 'Wispy' Fescue and his friends Marjorie 'Strangely' Drye and Miss Wanda Cushway are a private detective agency. When Lord and Lady Alfreton's daughter, Miss Josephine Leighton, is the victim of an appalling miscarriage of justice, the agency's services are required to prove her innocence.

In an entertaining romp taking in rural Kent, Derbyshire, London, and Boulogne in France, the friends ingeniously gather their evidence, narrowing the field down to three suspects.

What unfolds is a chain of events that ensures the real murderer of Josephine's fiance, Viscount George Thurmaston, is brought to justice.

The title refers to the method used to murder the Viscount, with the intention of framing Josephine, who is a keen baker.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I particularly liked the interaction of the main characters. The dialogue reflects the days when the quickest way to cross the English Channel was via fishing boat and is all rather charming.

In a crowded market of crime fiction, this series is a refreshing change and I raced through it in no time. More mysteries are eagerly awaited, with the ending of this story sowing the seeds for the agency's next investigation.

Anyone who enjoys reading PG Wodehouse or EF Benson should definitely give this series a try.

I received a free digital ARC of this book via The Book Guild, and am voluntarily leaving this review.

REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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This book was a huge no for me, I did not like anything about this book. I was not able to connect with any of the characters, the writing was weird(I think the author was trying to portray how the British spoke and I didn't like it.
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Although I read and liked the plot, I was so disappointed when I started reading the book, it was too slow, dragging, and very boring. I forced myself to finish it because I have to give a review.
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I'll not be reading any new book in this series

Set in 1922 this debut novel by Geoffrey Start has instant appeal for fans of the Golden Age of Crime Fiction. Agatha Christie had introduced the world to Hercule Poirot in 1920 and Dorothy L. Sayers would launch Lord Peter Wimsey's career in 1923.
Sir William Fescue heads up Fescue's Detective Agency. This is their first serious case. The team at Fescue's are a likeable crew. The red herrings are suitably eccentric and there's a ghoulish Lord Chief Justice who seems almost incapable of stopping himself from sending an innocent woman to the gallows.
The author perfectly recreates the period setting: there's the Nippy at Lyons Corner House and he even gets all his blends of tea perfect to a tee (pun intended!)
An easy read that is great fun from beginning to end.

This was a delighful story of a fledgling Detective Agency preventing a miscarriage of justice with some very clever enquiries. The British and French police were both involved in the finale which was organised and carried out with aplomb. Great fun!!

It’s 1922 and Miss Josephine Leighton, Daughter of Lord and Lady Alferton, who was engaged to Viscount George Thurmaston has been found guilty of his murder by way of poisoned biscuits that she had baked him in the biscuit barrel she gave him, with her finger prints only on it. She is in Holloway prison waiting for a date of her execution in two weeks time.
Josephine is also quite an independent, modern women who was a candidate in the local elections for the Labour party and has beliefs in suffrage and women’s rights.

Sir William Lucian Fescue (Wispy by nickname) runs a new detective agency with his friend Marjorie Dougal Drye (Strangely by nickname). Both had served at the Battle of the Somme together. Also working at the agency is Miss Wanda Cushway - an Oxford graduate and Ernest the office boy.

Up to now the agency has only had cases such as locating lost cattle and need a good human case to get them on the map.

Wispy had been reading the headlines about the murder and sentencing and doesn’t believe Josephine could done it when Wanda phones to say Lord Alferton – Josephine’s Father has rang the office and wants to discuss the case and get their help. This could be the case that is the making of the agency.

They take on the case to try and find evidence the Josephine didn’t kill her fiance, as well as to find the person who did and bring them to justice. They only have thirteen days to do this. Their enquires take them around England and across the Channel to France.

Will they save Josephine and get the real killer in time?

This is an enjoyable and well written cozy mystery that I can see being a series as the characters are likeable and there is good humour written into it.

This is right up my alley! Very much enjoyed this one. Fasinated by the time period, the story and the surroundings...

The Biscuit Barrel Murder is a jolly cosy mystery and ripping amateur sleuth adventure set in the early interwar golden age by debut author Geoffrey Start. Released 24th Jan 2023 by The Book Guild, it's 293 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

Although a modern production, there's an impressive verisimilitude and it truly reads as though it could've been written in 1920. The main protagonist is a minor noble, one Sir William "Wispy" Fescue who, along with his lady wife and a pair of friends manage to track down stolen prize cattle, works of art, and in the latest adventure, hopefully save a local well heeled young woman from the hangman's noose who's been convicted of murdering her fiancé, Viscount Thurmaston.

The whole is delightfully well written and all the moving parts function precisely as intended. Although it's not derivative, it *is* very much an homage to the beloved departed classicists of the Golden Age, specifically Marsh and Allingham. It even happens that head sleuth Wispy's wife is a recognised artist who has already been accepted at the Royal Academy exhibition and is in line for a potential second honour.

There's a great deal of humour throughout, and much lighthearted banter. It's strongly foreshadowed that there's a potential series in the offing, and that's a wonderful prospect.

Four and a half stars. Delightful fun.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I requested this book for the title alone - it suggests a very entertaining premise. And the book delivers a funny and clever whodunnit in the Golden Age style. It was very fiendish and there were plenty of red herrings along the way. Satisfying and entertaining, I didn't guess the ending which is always a pleasure.

I really enjoyed this period cosy murder mystery. It has good descriptions that evoke the 1920s, and a strong group of main characters. I felt like I learned a bit about the politics and society in general of that time. also liked that a large part of the story took place in France, which I hadn’t expected. I will look out for the next volume in this series.

The Biscuit Barrel Murder is the first book of the Wispy Fescue mystery series written by Geoffrey Start. Wispy, Strangely and Wanda have their work cut out for them as Josephine the Viscount's Fiance was convicted as the murderer. Now they’ve been asked to prove the innocence of a young lady charged with murdering her fiancee. And they only have thirteen days! There was poison found in the biscuits the Viscount ate and Josephine is the one who baked the biscuits. Josephine was running for office and trying to get rights for Women as they are not taken seriously in 1922 London. The Fescue Detective Agency has been approached to prove her innocence.

This book was an enjoyable cozy historical mystery written with humor, with its group of quite likeable characters. An easy, fun read and a great and successful start to this new series. I am hoping that this will be the start of a bright new series and I am looking forward to the next one. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book. I enjoyed it a lot!

This was an exciting and fun read I enjoyed following along with The Fescue Detective Agency as they solved the Murder of a Viscount. Wispy, Strangely and Wanda have their work cut out for them as Josephine the Viscount's Fiance was arrested as the murderer. There was poison found in the biscuits the Viscount ate and Josephine is the one who baked the biscuits. Josephine was running for office and trying to get rights for Women as they are not taken seriously in 1922 London. I loved all the travel and the characters were fun to get to know I would recommend this book.

I requested this book from NetGalley based on the title. A couple of the reviews that were available compared this to Blotto and Twinks; I have no clue what that is but I'm always up for a new mystery series. And this one is not a bad start to a series (I think?) but there are a LOT of people that are introduced and some odd leaping about from first person to third that threw me off in the beginning. There are also a lot of characters. A LOT of characters.
Sir Wispy Fescue, Strangely Drye, and Wanda Cushway have a detective agency. They are hired to prove by Lord and Lady Alfreton to prove that their daughter, Miss Josephine Leighton, did NOT murder her fiancee, Viscount Thurmaston, with the biscuits that she baked for him weekly. So the team are off on an adventure to interview various suspects (all of whom Sir Wispy seems to latch on to at various points as being the murderer which was sort of interesting). Also included on the adventure are Sir Wispy's and Strangely's wives, Constanza and Libby who seem rather tolerant of their sleuthing although Libby does seem overly worried about Sir Wispy not getting hurt which, of course, he does.
Not sure if this is a series; it might make some sense if it is since so many people were introduced so quickly. I would be interested in reading more though.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out January 28, 2023
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and The Book Guild
Opinions are my own

From the title and cover design, I thought this seemed like a fun book that I might enjoy.

I thought this was a charming book. It was a 1920s cosy mystery, and a light, entertaining read. It reminded me a little bit of P.G. Wodehouse. It filled my craving for a cosy mystery, and it was the perfect kind of book to relax with, over a cup of tea and a few biscuits!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.